Pseudo News

Fake news and how we can help stop it

Six months have passed in this new year and we have already seen so much more than we can process. Among several unrests in the nation in the first few months to the coronavirus pandemic, one fact floats above it all – the oh so lucrative social media has reared its ugly head once again. Platforms like Whatsapp and Facebook have proved to be a major source of misinformed individuals propagating and even forcing their thoughts and ideas onto others, creating an even bigger group of misinformed individuals. But, lets get down to the facts.

Fake or misleading news can, more often than not, have a real and lasting impact on those who find themselves in a weaker position. Going back through the memory lane, the fake news fiasco was kicked off this year with the North-East Delhi riots against the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act. Strong religious nationalism provoked an overwhelming amount of Whatsapp forwards in the masses against the religious ‘minority’. This contributed greatly in prodding strong-headed individuals out on the streets to protest and, in many cases, attack those from this ‘minority’. Although many of these protests were crushed and clashes suppressed, and the enmity between the 2 wings subsided gradually, it only gave way to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Social media, being the ‘Symbol of Free Speech’ it is, was again buzzing with an unprecedented wave of fake news regarding the virus. And this time, not only people but businesses also were drastically affected. Whatsapp forwards that said that one could be affected by the virus if he/she consumes contaminated meat had a direct impact on the meat and poultry industry – so much so that in even metropolitan cities, sales from these industries dropped down by around 50%. Small and local businesses were greatly misinformed, due to several chains of Facebook posts, about re-opening guidelines from the government post lockdown. Many students were dazed and confused about their exams, results and admission procedures as they received false messages regarding the same which claimed to be from their respective educational boards on various social media platforms. Most of all, in Mumbai, migrant workers were deluded to go against the government’s lockdown rules because they had supposedly received information that the government was scheduling trains for them to be relocated to their hometowns. This led to a 2-day face-off between a faction of these helpless workers and the authorities leading to a final lathi charge that was inflicted as a last resort. Even Indian journalism system played a huge role in spreading of fake news reports as news outlets publish such information under the pretext of exclusivity and ‘Breaking News’. All of these facts and many such more have left the people in a haze, not knowing where they might be able to access UNBIASED and REAL news. What I’m trying to say is that media is a very powerful tool, but at the moment, it is being greatly exploited. Media seems to have lost its authenticity and reliability. So, you’ll ask, what can we do to help this? The answer is as simple as can be. Use the media to fight the media. Seeing fake news? Go ahead and call them out. Report messages and pages which you know for sure spread fake news. There is a reason why social media platforms give you the option to flag posts. Think that your father is becoming a typical Indian uncle? Discuss and debate over the authenticity of the forwarded message. Do your due diligence and research the hell out of news reports. Curb speculation. Stick to facts. There is nothing more powerful in society’s armoury than social media. But, it is up to us whether to consider it a boon or bane and to wield the strength of this tool. After all, social media has as many drawbacks as it has benefits.